HHS Splits $49M AI, Automation Contract Evenly Between Small, Large Businesses

The Health and Human Services Department awarded 57 spots on its Intelligent Automation/Artificial Intelligence, or IAAI, contract, a $49 million vehicle that officials hope one day will compete with the massive governmentwide acquisition contracts, or GWACs.

The department awarded spots to 28 small business and 29 large vendors, according to data obtained by Nextgov. See the full list at the end of the article.

The vendors will offer a “catalog of emerging technologies” centered around robotic process automation, or RPA, and general AI tools.

“When we say ‘artificial intelligence,’ we’re using the term very broadly,” Lori Ruderman, who leads the HHS Buy Smarter initiative and is a senior adviser at the Program Support Center, said in January in the middle of the solicitation process. “What we’re expecting is a combination of lots of other components like machine learning, natural language processing, big data analytics—all working together to take our thinking to the next level.”

“HHS is among the largest data producers in the world. The department’s healthcare and financial data alone exceed petabytes per year,” Dave Vennergrund, senior director of data and analytics for GDIT, one of the awardees, told Nextgov. “This data is rich in value and provides the fuel for machine learning models.”

With awards made, HHS components can begin using the contract, though contracting officials have bigger plans for the vehicle.

“The contract is designed so we can buy and scale across HHS and, potentially, across the government space,” Ruderman said. “Ultimately, they want to establish a GWAC, a much larger vehicle. … This is just a jumping off point.”

Small Businesses

3TI Federal JV, LLC
Anika Systems
Aurotech, Inc
Canfield Cyberdefense Group
Cougaar Software, Inc.
Cyber4S
DecisionQ Information Operations
Ekagra Partners, LLC
Elsevier, Inc.
ESAC, Inc.
Futrend Technology, Inc.
InfoCap Networks, LLC (InfoCap)
Intelligence, LLC
ISSAC Corp
NewWave Telecom and Technologies, Inc. (NewWave)
Optimal Solutions Group
Phoenix Data Security, Inc.
Prometheus Computing, LLC
Ridgewood Technology
Swain Techs
Systems Plus, Inc.
TConneX, Inc.
TeamWorx Security
TrueTandem, LLC.
Tygart Technology, Inc (Tygart)
United Solutions
Valsatech Corp
Visual Connections

Large Businesses

Accenture Federal Services, LLC
AEEC, LLC
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
CGI Federal, Inc.
COLSA Corporation
Customer Value Partners, Inc. (CVP)
Deloitte Consulting LLP
Digital Management Inc. (DMI)
Dovel Technologies, LLC
Ernst & Young LLP
General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc.
Guidehouse LLP
ICF Incorporated, LLC
International Business Machine Corporation (IBM)
KPMG LLP
Leidos, Inc.
LMI
NCI Information Systems, Inc.
NET ESOLUTIONS CORP (NETE)
Northrop Grumman
Octo Consulting Group, Inc.
Palantir Technologies
Parsons Government Services
Sapient Government Services, Inc.
TechFlow, Inc.
Technatomy Corporation
Technica Corporation
TISTA Science and Technology Corporation
Unisys Corporation